Data storage devices such as rotating disk drives, solid state drives, and hybrid drives, are typically tested and configured in a manufacturing environment before being shipped. Each storage device is configured the same as every other for the sake of manufacturing and distribution efficiency. However, the operating environments in which the storages devices are ultimately deployed can vary greatly from one to another, with some being more challenging to the optimal performance of a storage device than others. For instance, some environments may be subject to more vibration than others, temperature ranges may vary a great deal, and workloads may vary, all of which can affect the performance of a device in terms of its speed and capacity. Each device is therefore configured during the manufacturing process to ensure that its performance will meet minimum requirements no matter the operational environment.
Such an approach has the drawback of leaving performance on the table in the case of less challenging environments. For example, a storage device that is deployed in a low-vibration environment but configured to withstand a high-vibration environment could run faster if so configured. While such a mismatch may not be overly significant with respect to a single device, it can be very significant in the aggregate. For example, many modern data centers include thousands upon thousands of servers, and thus many thousands of data storage devices, the sub-optimal performance of which is generally undesired and wasteful.